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Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig finishes second to Jose Fernandez in Rookie of the Year balloting, Hyun-Jin Ryu fourth.

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America chose Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez as its Rookie of the Year, edging second-place finisher Yasiel Puig in the final balloting by collecting 26 of 30 first-place votes. Puig was chosen first on the other four ballots.

Fernandez went 12-6 with a 2.19 earned-run average in his first major-league season. The 21-year-old native of Cuba had never pitched above Single-A prior to last season, but only improved as the 2013 campaign rolled along. He posted a 1.32 ERA after the All-Star break, with 84 strikeouts in 68 innings.

For the season, Fernandez led the majors in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (5.8). Only eight pitchers had a higher Wins Above Replacement in their first major-league season than Fernandez’s 6.3, according to baseball-reference.com’s version of the statistic.

Fernandez was named to the National League All-Star team in July, another honor that fell just outside Puig’s grasp as he raced off to a blistering start following his June 3 call-up from Double-A Chattanooga.

Puig’s batting average didn’t dip below .400 until his 35th game. He finished with a .319/.391/.534 slash line, with 19 home runs, 42 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in 19 attempts. Beyond his numbers, Puig re-energized the Dodgers in the midst of a June swoon, pushing the team to first place in the National League West and an eventual six-game loss in the NL Championship Series to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Todd Hollandsworth was the last Dodgers player to win the Rookie of the Year award, in 1996.

About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.

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